Google Maps as a terrorist threat?

Is plotting the real-time location of emergency vehicles on Google Maps a terrorist threat?

The Seattle Fire Department thinks so. Earlier this week, the fire department took the step of trying to make it harder for people to incorporate a publicly available 911 call feed into Google Maps, a decision that affected the privately-operated Web site Seattle911.com.

Problem is, it is relatively easy for a software engineer to get around the fire department’s “fix.”

“It is kind of idiotic,” said Bruce Schneier, a security guru and author of “Beyond Fear.” “It comes from addressing the symptom and not the problem, which doesn’t help.”

The Fire Department explains itself in this message. John Eberly, creator of Seattle911.com, adds his two cents, saying the fire department’s decision does nothing to prevent the “so-called ‘bad guys’ from using the information.”

UPDATE: This story has started to gain some traction online, with Slashdot, News.com and ProgrammableWeb picking it up.

Bruce Miller, a Seattle911.com user who I quoted in my story, says the Fire Department has gone too far. In this sarcastic message, which Miller said he sent to the Seattle City Council, he recommends that the Seattle Fire Department turn itself into the world’s first “Stealth Fire Department.” Among his suggestions to curb potential terrorist threats against the Fire Department:

Never list the address of any fire station in the phone book or public document.

Redistribute all fire stations to locations not known to the public.

Repaint all emergency vehicles in colors so they can’t be distinguished from regular vehicles on the road.

Redo the equipment so units cannot be easily identifiable targets during a response. Ladder trucks might be turned into semi-trailer trucks that look like large beer distribution trucks. Engines could be disguised as mobile taco or hot dog stands.